Rays postponed until 4 p.m. Tuesday

UPDATE: 12:55: The Rays made the best of their limited options to work out, and most were understanding of the decision to cancel the game, and appreciative the decision was made early.

"I'd much prefer we wait (until Tuesday) given the circumstances,'' manager Joe Maddon said. "As opposed to battling through inclement weather, do it this way.''

Maddon said he "kind of figured" the game would be postponed due to the threatening forecast. He said the Rays would use the same lineup, and both he and starter James Shields said the extra day wouldn't have an effect in their readiness.

Maddon did suggest, as did others, that the bad weather showed by playing at home might have made more sense: "I know the weather is really good at Tropicana Field.''

UPDATE, 10:14: Today's Rays-Red Sox season opener has been postponed due to expected rains and will be played at 4:05 Tuesday.

The Rays, or at least some of them, are still on the way to Fenway Park for a workout, mostly in the indoor batting cages.

Heavy rain was forecast for Monday afternoon, and the Red Sox made the decision shortly after 10 a.m. to reschedule.

"After consulting with our weather service and other professional meteorologists, it became apparent it would be extremely unlikely, if not impossible, that we would get a complete game in today so the decision was made to postpone until Tuesday,'' Sox president/CEO Larry Lucchino said in a statement. "Our fans look forward to this unofficial Red Sox Nation holiday each year, and we want to make sure that they are able to enjoy the full experience including both the special pre-game ceremonies and a full nine innings of play. We reserved an alternate rain date for tomorrow for just such adverse circumstances as present themselves today.''

The second game of the series is still scheduled to be played at 7:10 Wednesday.

This is the first time a Rays opener has been postponed, and comes after the Rays had asked MLB to open the season at home.

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The Tampa Bay Rays will head into the 2015 season with Evan Longoria, Chris Archer, Alex Cobb and plenty of new faces, including manager Kevin Cash. Can they upend the Orioles in the highly competitive AL East? Come here to follow Rays news at Tropicana Field and beyond.